What is Photovoltaic Energy?
Photovoltaic energy is produced when sunlight is converted into energy with the use of solar cells or semiconductors. These semiconducting cells are usually made of silicon and do not contain any corrosive materials or moving parts. As long as the solar cells are exposed to light, they will produce photovoltaic energy with a minimum of maintenance. This energy is also environmentally clean, quiet, and safe. The term “photovoltaic” has two parts: photo, a Greek word meaning light, and voltaic, a reference to electrical energy innovator Alessandro Volta. In 1839, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect, the production of a volt by use of a semiconductor. This discovery prompted further experimentation with light sources and semiconductors, which led to the invention of solar cells that produce photovoltaic energy. Individual solar cells, also called photovoltaic cells, are manufactured in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes just one cell is needed to power
Photovoltaic is a marriage of two words: photo, meaning light, and voltaic, meaning electricity. Photovoltaic technology, the term used to describe the hardware that converts solar energy into usable power, generates electricity from light. At the heart of photovoltaic (PV) technology is a semi-conductor material which can be adapted to release electrons, the negatively charged particles that form the basis of electricity. The most common semi-conductor material used in photovoltaic cells is silicon, an element most commonly found in sand. There is no limitation to its availability as a raw material; silicon is the second most abundant material in the earths mass. All PV cells have two layers of semi-conductors, one positively charged and one negatively charged. When light shines on the semi-conductor, the electric field across the junction between these two layers causes electricity to flow, generating DC (direct current). The greater the intensity of the light, the greater the flow o
Photovoltaic energy is the conversion of the sun’s light directly into electricity through a photovoltaic (PV) cell, often referred to as a solar cell. The cell itself is the basis of a PV system. One cell can’t provide adequate power for most applications, but many cells can be placed together to form modules; modules are connected to form arrays that produce power. Because arrays are dependent on sunlight, climate conditions have a great effect on the amount of energy received by an array and on its performance. (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Washington, D.C.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells use semiconductors to produce electricity. The cell absorbs solar radiation, which excites the electrons inside the cell. A semiconductor must have at least two electric fields. When an electron excited by solar energy leaves its electric field, it seeks to return to its original electric field. In order to do so, it must pass through an external circuit, producing electricity. This is referred to as the photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaics (PV) is in many ways the most exciting and promising of solar technologies. If you’ve ever used a solar calculator, you’ve seen PV in action. As the name suggests, photovoltaic cells produce electricity directly from sunlight, a free and inexhaustible energy souce. PV is distinct from other kinds of solar energy in that it harnesses the sun’s light, rather than its heat. Because the hardware needed for this is entirely solid-state electronics, photovoltaic cells are extremely low-maintenance and have very long lifespans.
